Basketball fosters dedication, perseverance for Centerville鈥檚 Bella Keeton
DAYTON, Ohio — I am in 10th grade at Centerville High School (CHS), and I have loved playing basketball since 2nd grade鈥攎ost of my life.
I play point guard for CHS and the 2025 Dayton Vipers Elite Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team.
School ball runs from Oct. through Feb. We practice for two hours daily, Mon.-Sat., with Sun. off. We also usually play around two games per week.
I love our team dinners, the night before CHS home basketball games. My teammates share funny 海角社区, and we get to connect and learn more about each other.
My best memory was when we played against Wayne, on CHS鈥檚 senior night. We were down by one point, with one second left in the game. My teammate went to the hoop and was fouled. She was hurt (not the reason it鈥檚 a good memory), so the coach had me take the free throws. I made both shots, to win the game!
AAU basketball starts right after school basketball ends鈥擬ar. through May. Practice is twice a week for two hours, with games Fri.-Sun. (between three and five games per weekend). This year we played in 12 weekend tournaments. It starts up again in Jul. I always look forward to Jul., when I get to play tough competition during the largest exposure tournament, Run 4 Roses.
Derek, one of my AAU coaches, challenges me to play to the best to my ability. He knows what I am capable of and always says the right thing at the right time, to push me forward.
I also play summer league basketball in Jun. (between AAU sessions).
After I graduate I would like to help kids in the community, by mentoring and helping them train with basketball or agility for other sports.
I hope to continue playing in college too.
This sport has taught me about setting challenging goals for myself and working hard to achieve those goals. I have learned about dedication and finishing what I start. There are tough games, where I want to give up; but I just continue to do my best and not give up. The pace of the game can change at any point: a great lesson for life.
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